Last call: Matterhorn to close
Wellington bar Matterhorn has been forced to shut so developers can save an earthquake-damaged heritage building that once housed the Farmers department store.
Willis Bond & Co has served a notice on the Matterhorn’s owners, giving them three months to close its doors.
Matterhorn, which has been at its Cuba St site for 54 years, will shut up shop in October.
Owner Sean Marshall said he believed the building would be demolished so developers could strengthen the former Farmers building, which shared a wall with Matterhorn.
Willis Bond & Co managing director Mark McGuinness said the building was not going to be demolished ‘‘in the short-term’’.
‘‘The building needs strengthening, and that will be done, which is quite different from saying the building is going to be demolished. That’s all I can say.’’
Farmers’ Cuba St store has been closed since the magnitude-7.8 Kaikoura earthquake in November last year.
Last month, it was reported the site was earmarked for a new development that would be a mix of retail, hospitality, residential and potentially office space.
The plans for redevelopment had not been finalised, McGuinness said. ‘‘We’ve got no comment at this stage.’’
Marshall said the restaurant and bar was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
‘‘It’s a shame that 50 years of Wellington culture doesn’t have any value left ... [but] it is what it is, you can’t change it.’’
He was disappointed the bar had been forced to close to make way for a new development.
‘‘For over 50 years, we’ve occupied this iconic position in Wellington, and finally the old girl is being forced into retirement.
‘‘We’re a victim of Wellington’s geology, unfortunately, but we’re planning a huge celebration of everything we’ve been over the next three months.
‘‘We are going to do as much as we can to give it heaps on the way out ... We need to go out in true Matterhorn style.’’
Marshall was looking for a new site for the restaurant and bar but nothing had been finalised yet.
‘‘I’m having a good crack at it, but I’ve got nothing locked in. If I can find a new site for Matterhorn, that’d be great but, at the moment, I’m looking.
‘‘It’s tough finding the right site, the right time, the right deal. There are so many ducks that need to line up to get it sorted.’’
Fellow restaurateur and Wellington Restaurant Association president Mike Egan said it shouldn’t be the end for the Cuba St restaurant and bar.
‘‘The building might be broken but the brand isn’t. I’m sure they will find somewhere else.
‘‘I know of many iconic New York restaurants in a third location for the 80 years they’ve been around. You give it a polish and start again.’’
A new location would befit the iconic brand that the Matterhorn had created, he said. ‘‘They are a good example of how the dining scene has evolved in the capital.
‘‘They’ve adapted and added during successive makeovers. They were great with live music, and showcased great musical talent, which was quite unique for a restaurant.’’
Matterhorn began in 1963 as a cafe run by two Swiss brothers. It has been a bar since 1997.